NGamer Issue 23

June 2007
Release Date: 23 Apr 2008
Pages: 116
Editor: Nick Ellis

Introduction

Guitar Hero took pride of place on the cover of this issue as the team got their “First Pluck” of the DS’s first attempt to emulate the console versions' huge success. Other big games previewed this month included relatively unknown game Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars and Lego Indiana Jones. They also pitted two wrestling games against each other, with Smackdown vs Raw 2009 narrowly beating TNA Impact. In the news this month Manhunt 2 was unbanned thanks to a watered down version of the game to please the BBFC. There was also the first look at a brand new Sonic game (Unleashed) - with the game seeming to go back to Sonic’s roots, with a more of a pseudo-2D style.

This month's feature looked at some of the weird Nintendo peripherals released over the years. This was handily separated by consoles, and covered the common ones like the R.O.B. robot for the NES, as well as obscure ones like the Japan only Satellaview, an exercise bike linked to the SNES and the sewing machine linked to a Game Boy. They also featured some of the obscure stories involving Nintendo accessories.

The big review this month was for Wii Fit, which Matthew got a chance to play through - he scored it at 68%, praising the innovation of the game, but it lost points due to the fairly basic Graphics and Audio. The biggest game of the month was RPG The World Ends with You on DS, scoring a decent 90%. There were several import releases scoring in the early 80s, including Bangai-O Spirits (82%), Ninja Gaiden Dragons Sword (82%), Bandai Namco’s Family Ski (81%) and SimCity DS 2 (81%) - although there wasn’t much notable for the UK audience.

In World of Nintendo they had a fairly comprehensive general guide to Mario Kart Wii, offering the basic tips, as well as how to beat the battle mode, tips for all the weapons and showcased the 10 biggest shortcuts they had found so far. There was also coverage from an attempt to set the world record for cosplayers in London, and the team managed to photograph and interview several of the video game themed cosplayers. Along with the preview earlier in the mag, they got the chance to interview the CEO and Creative Director of Mushroom Men - Dan Borth.

In the Download section this month was a look at the history of Fire Emblem, along with its legacy on other similar games like Shining Force and Final Fantasy Tactics. There was also a look at Pokemon Pinball in Classic Levels and there was a deeper look at Kirby 64: Crystal Shards which had just been released on the Virtual Console.

Finally, it would be rude not to mention, this mag came with a free plastic wheel to put your remote into and play Mario Kart (amongst other racers), the tagline “Worth Seven Pounds” went down in magazine folklore as it seemed to be a cheap piece of plastic and not a patch on the official Wii Wheel.

Articles

Features

Peripherals Visions
Mario Kart Wii: Driving School
Dedication's What You Need
Toadstool Recall
Look Who's Stalking
History Lesson 20: Fire Emblem
Red and Blue Table - Pokemon Pinball

Previews

Guitar Hero on Tour
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars
Lego Indiana Jones: The Video Game
Sid Meider's Civilization Revolutions
Soul Bubbles
Doodle Hex
Big Bang Mini
Alone in the Dark
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Sports Island
Tna Impact
Smackdown vs Raw 2009
Looney Tunes: Cartoon Concerto
Bomberman Wii
Alien Crush
Jigsaw Battle
Tetris
Plattchen: Twist and Paint
Baroque
Etrian Odyssey 2
Spectrobes Beyond the Portals
Wacky Races

Reviews

Wii Fit
Author: Matthew Castle
Country: Uk
Score: 68
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Author: Matthew Castle
Country: Uk
Score: 58
Victorious Boxers Challenge
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: Uk
Score: 79
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: Uk
Score: 64
Emergency Mayhem
Author: Nick Ellis
Country: Uk
Score: 49
Eco Creatures: Save the Forest
Author: Chrissy Williams
Country: USA
Score: 76
Dungeon Explorer
Author: Matthew Castle
Country: Uk
Score: 48
The World Ends With You
Author: Matthew Castle
Country: Uk
Score: 90
Insecticide
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: USA
Score: 33
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Author: Matthew Castle
Country: USA
Score: 82
Bangai-O Spirits
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: Jap
Score: 82
Sim Cuty DS 2
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: Jap
Score: 81
Lost in Blue 3
Author: Roy Delaney
Country: USA
Score: 77
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Uk
Score: 72
Dr Mario & Virus Buster
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: 48
Everybody's Pokemon Ranch
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: 70
Star Soldier R
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: 53
Okiraku Ping Pong Wii
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: 62
Lonpos
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: 68
Solitaire
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: 56
Animal Panic
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: 65
Mojipittan
Author: Alex Dale
Country: Jap
Score: ?/
Sega Superstars Tennis
Author: Roy Delaney
Country: Uk
Score: 78
Duel Love
Author: Roy Delaney
Country: Uk
Score: 53
Gopets Vacation Island
Author: Roy Delaney
Country: Uk
Score: 70
Shugo Chara: Three Eggs and the Joker in Love!
Author: Roy Delaney
Country: Jap
Score: 42
Build-a-bear Workshop
Author: Chrissy Williams
Country: Jap
Score: 50
Chou-gekijou-ban Keroro Gunsou 3
Author: Chrissy Williams
Country: Jap
Score: 65
Loopop Cube: Loop * Salad DS
Author: Chrissy Williams
Country: Jap
Score: 68
AMF Bowling Pinbusters!
Author: Chrissy Williams
Country: Uk
Score: 65

Staff

Martin Kitts Deputy Editor
Kim Bissix Designer
Matthew Castle Staff Writer
Andy McGregor Art Editor
Nick Ellis Editor